Listen

It had been going so well. She had tricked a kid into going farther into the woods than he had wanted to go by setting off simple sound traps that attracted him deeper and deeper. It was another kid looking to disperse or confirm the myths of dark forces hiding in the woods; he was armed to the teeth in cameras, digital recorders, cassettes, and of course he was wearing some puffy jacket his mom had likely forced him to wear before going out. 

It was nearing midnight, and this kid was long due home, but he couldn't ignore the adrenaline that being out like this offered him. She relished that bravado the kid held dear, enjoyed the way he couldn't help but satiate his curiosity. It would be so much more rewarding when she finally drove an arrow into his heart.

But that isn't how things went down. He had been faster than she thought, considering how weighed down he was in equipment, and he had his cameras set to flash mode which blinded her the first time she cornered him.

She had followed him around all the curves and bends of the unforgiving deep woods, but to no avail. Somehow the kid had found his way back to the entrance and despite several close calls, she couldn't actually nab him. Her last arrow had missed his head by a hair since he had misstepped before re-entering the clearing that she very well couldn't follow him into - it was the backyard of the Clemmons' home, so it was under constant surveillance due to the paranoia of its residents.

She had missed her opportunity.

She had failed.

shouldn'thavedonethatshouldn'thavedonethat

She clamped her hands over her ears, begging the loud noises to quiet. But the voice only grew louder, some unusual symptom of her forest syndrome if she had to guess, and it only grew more intense.

someonehastopaysomeonehastopay

"No!" She screamed, stumbling through the forest as she covered her ears. "I didn't mean it! I can do better!"

yourbrotherwillsufferyourbrotherwillbleedyourbrotherwillsufferyourbrotherwillbleed

She felt hot claw marks tease her arms, nails digging under her skin and leave red trails. Her eyes felt like they were bugging out of her head and god, god the noise wouldn't be quiet!

allyourfaultallyourfaultallyourfaultallyourfaultall-

"No!"

The static that had surrounded her mind abruptly left. Instead of covering her ears, she found herself squeezing the pale, exposed neck in front of her. She was choking the kid with the cameras, his fingernails were buried in her arms and it burned but she couldn't stop, not for him, not for anyone. 

The life left the kid in mere moments, his kicking and scratching coming to a final stop. He hung from her hands like yesterday's laundry from a clothesline. She had captured the kid all along. It was only her paranoia speaking, spitting out images of her failure. Only her paranoia.

Right?